Andy Hutchinson explores The Specialist Gardens at Roundhay Park
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00:00 Hi, it's Andy Hutchinson here from Yorkshire Evening Post and if you're anything like me
00:08 you'll have ventured countless times to Roundy Park in Leeds over the years. It's a true
00:14 gem of the city. With 700 acres to explore this gem is home to many hidden gems, hidden
00:20 in plain sight of course. And now I invite you to join me for a wander around these specialist
00:26 gardens. The Monnet Garden was first introduced to the city in 1999 and is based on gardens
00:34 planted by Impressionists at Giverny. It forms the entrance to the specialist gardens at
00:40 Roundy Park just off Mansion Lane and around the corner from the Roundy Fox pub. The Alhambra
00:45 Gardens echoes parts of the gardens of Henry Le Fay including the Patio della Sultana and
00:51 the Mirador of Partell Gardens. We're all leading really busy lives in a busy city and
00:59 yet as you come just a few miles out of the city centre and you can stumble upon these
01:04 well fabulous wondrous gardens they are an absolute sight to behold. This area is also
01:12 home to four award-winning Chelsea Flower Show entries and is managed by some of the
01:16 best horticulturalists in the city. The four gardens are each completely different yet
01:22 offer interest and intrigue and they really do celebrate the city's rich history and heritage
01:30 and its industrial roots. It would be really worth coming back in the summer when the plants
01:35 are in full bloom. I grew up in Roundhay and we used to live on just off Street Lane and
01:40 Tropical World I saw it being canal gardens and then growing into tropical gardens and
01:46 it's absolutely amazing it's still amazing and I love going there it holds lots of fun
01:49 memories and that lovely water walk you just feel like you're in a painting. They're probably
01:54 the finest gardens in Leeds I can't think of anywhere else that has such a variety of
02:03 colour it's kind of spellbinding really. Canal Gardens next to Tropical World features water
02:12 fountains and a spirit of the earth statue. At the back of Canal Gardens is the Friends
02:18 of Roundhay Park garden which opened in the summer of 2005. Launched in 2021 the Friends
02:24 of Roundhay Park sensory garden is a real feast for the senses sight sound smell touch
02:30 and taste and like all the specialist gardens are accessible to all. Roundhay Park is a
02:37 real green gem and has offered countless visitors down the decades a chance for fresh air in
02:45 wonderful surroundings. Here in the specialist gardens and especially the Alhambra it offers
02:52 a peace and tranquility and is a real hidden gem hiding in plain sight.